OR1® Timeout Verification Feature Named Innovation of the Year by Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons

15.10.2008 | Humanmedizin

CULVER CITY, CA (September 30, 2008)— KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., a leader in endoscopy and operating room integration technologies for more than 60 years, is pleased to announce that its OR1® Timeout Verification feature was recognized as a 2008 Innovation of the Year by the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS). Recipients of this year’s Innovations of the Year were announced September 17, 2008, during the SLS 17th International Congress and Endo Expo in Chicago.

Timeout Verification helps safeguard patients and increase customer satisfaction as an integral part of the KARL STORZ OR1® integration system. “Timeout Verification incorporated in the OR1 Icon Interface helps ensure that surgical teams are ready to perform the correct procedure on the correct patient and at the correct anatomical site,” says Devon Bream, Director, Sales & Marketing, OR1®. “KARL STORZ is the only OR integration vendor currently providing customers with a complete solution of this type.”

OR1® Timeout Verification is a vital tool for complying with the Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) universal protocol for preventing wrong site, wrong procedure, wrong patient surgery. This protocol requires a “timeout” immediately before starting a surgical procedure to enable the entire surgical team to actively verify and document key parameters. These include: correct patient identity, and position, correct side and site, agreement on the procedure to be performed, availability of correct implants or special requirements, correct x-ray film images, and certification of patient name and surgeon/physician.

Beginning in October 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin withholding reimbursement for “never events,” which encompass medical and surgical errors that are so serious they should never occur, a definition that may soon include wrong site surgery. A number of major health networks, including Aetna and Wellpoint, are also expected to follow suit in eliminating reimbursement for many “never events.”

The OR1® Timeout Verification feature gives surgical teams a number of key benefits, including a comprehensive onscreen checklist with automated timestamps. The checklist can be accessed easily from within the surgical field or from the nurse station, and it can be routed to any surgical monitor. Automated alert functions notify the surgical team when any steps of the protocol are missed, and documentation is simplified by routing images directly to a capture device for storage or printing.
“Many facilities don’t currently have an efficient means for verifying that the timeout checklist has been followed,” Bream adds. “Our OR1 Timeout Verification feature offers an ideal option for ensuring that surgical teams actively communicate and concisely document key details of verification procedures.”

The SLS was established as an educational, nonprofit organization to help ensure the highest standards for the practice of laparoscopic, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery. With a membership of more than 6,000 surgeons, the society serves surgeons from various specialties and other health professionals interested in advancing their expertise. Each year, the organization recognizes the most innovative products of the previous 12 months that have multidisciplinary applications in minimally invasive surgery. The SLS notes that products recognized as Innovations of the Year are selected for informational purposes only. The society does not endorse or approve any products, and surgeons should investigate any new equipment for safety and suitability for their particular practice and needs.